State to have 15 pc more power this summer
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21/04/2008
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Indian Express (Chandigarh)
There will be some relief from power cuts this summer, as 15 per cent more power will be available in the state as compared to last year. Stating this, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (Power) Ashok Lavasa said the extra power would be arranged by way of bilateral arrangements made with other states, including Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Madhya Pradesh. Besides, the state would get 600 MW additional power generating capacity this year as the first unit of the 300-MW Deen Bandhu Chotu Ram Thermal Power Project at Yamunanagar has started generating power at full swing and the second unit of 300 MW has been synchronised, which is generating power with oil fire. The unit is likely to start generation with coal fire shortly, he added. Lavasa claimed that the first priority in power supply would be given to the agriculture sector. A massive plan for increasing power generation capacity in the state was being executed. With the completion of the plan, the state would get additional 5,000 MW power. He said over 36 per cent construction work of the Rajiv Gandhi Khedar Thermal Plant at Hisar has been completed. The plant is likely to start generation by the end of 2009. The construction work at 1,500-MW Thermal Power Project at Jharli in Jhajjar district is also going on at a fast pace and is likely to come on bars before the next Commonwealth Games. Haryana would get 750 MW power from this project. He said a 1,320-MW coal-based thermal plant would be constructed in Jhajjar by private producers, for which bids were being finalised. He said besides increasing power generating capacity in the state, the power transmission and distribution system was also being augmented in a big way. The government plans to spend Rs 15,000 crore on strengthening power transmission and distribution system in the state. To improve distribution system, the agriculture and domestic load in rural areas is being segregated under a massive plan of system reformation. All the lengthier and overloaded feeders are being divided into feeders of proper load and length. High-voltage distribution system (HVDS) is being created in all villages of the state, which is a power distribution system of the international level, Lavasa said.